The Premiere
by Kassandra85
Summary: Bernice Brentwood, reporter of Entertainment Now, meets Richard Armitage on the black carpet in L.A...and Berlin. The Hobbit, The Desolation of Smaug, would continue the legend that would change the lives of so many...even one reporter. Modern fic.
1. Chapter 1

**I only own my OC. Everything else is not mine. **

**I´ve tried to make Richard as realistic as possible, which isn´t easy. In all interviews I have seen he gives such intelligent and thoughtful replies that its hard for me to actually do him justice in my fanfic. I will try though.**

It was a busy evening in LA. The world premiere of the Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug was about to start and the journalists and fans were already crowding the red carpet. No, the black carpet, Bernice was reminding herself. Bernice Brentwood was a journalist of Entertain Now, she was quite new to the business, but she had been able to snatch this important job at the premiere due to her collegue getting sick in the last minute. Bernice was incredibly nervous. She had been a Lord of the Rings fan since her childhood and now, at the end of her twenties, Peter Jackson had filmed a new fascinating triology. Most of the actors would be there, but Lee Pace would not attend due to other appointments. That was all the info Bernice had gotten from the editorial staff.

The fans were lining up at the carpet, the security already had their difficulties securing the area. And then it started. Manu Bennett was the first to catch Bernices attention. She had seen him on TV before and the fact that he had also played Azog in the Hobbit movies had totally surprised her. He was quite goodlooking and he seemed to know it very well. He passed the black carpet blinking at the women who caught his eye and seemed to have a great time. Bernice was supposed to get interviews of Evangeline Lilly, Orlando Bloom and Richard Armitage. Bernice felt as if she might faint when she thought of interviewing Orlando Bloom. In her teens she had started watching Lord of the Rings because of Orlandos character Legolas and now she was standing here, actually able to interview him. The whole evening when by her as if it wasn´t real, Bernice watched Manu Bennett pass and smiled at Aidan Turner and Dean O´Gorman, who were of course, walking the black carpet together. Aidan was such a sweet guy, he was her age and Bernice could see various fangirls going crazy seeing him. Finally she caught a glimpse of Evangeline Lilly. She liked the actress, but she was annoyed by the fact that Peter Jackson had merely created the character Tauriel because he needed a female badass actress in the movie. Tauriel was no part of the Tolkien world and Bernice disliked it that she was in the movies. But Evangeline Lilly seemed to be a nice person and the interview was also held in an easy and friendly atmosphere. Evangeline seemed to be pretty full of herself, Bernice noticed. She knew that her character, Tauriel, would develop a big deal in the last movie. The actress was physically fit, she had a gorgeous toned body and the dress also was beautiful. Bernice looked down at herself and frowned about her own outfit, a black suit and pants, simple and boring.

Sighing deeply she looked up and looked for her next interview partner, Orlando Bloom. Bernice friends at home had already told her to go for it, since Orlando had recently split from his wife, Miranda Kerr. Bernice just shook her head, she was more realistic than that.

The interview with Orlando was nice. It was short and full of distractions because the fans and reporters fought for some attention. As Bernice asked him if it had bothered him that his "father" Thranduil was actually younger than him in real life, he even laughed. He denied it and finally Bernice wrapped it up and gratefully smiled at Orlando who had stayed calm and focused through the whole interview, like the professional he was.

Bernice now waited for Richard Armitage who played the dwarf king Thorin Oakenshield in the movie. She had never heard of him before the movie and had been impressed by his skills as an actor. It was kind of weird that the dwarf - short, hairy and stubborn - was so incredibly attractive and that Bernice thought Richard Armitage to be quite average. As he finally stood before her, being guided to the reporters by his publicist, Bernice had to look up quite far. Richard Armitage was a tall man, ironicaly playing a dwarf. And there was Bernice first question.

'Richard.' Usually Bernice hated it to call people she did not know by their first names, but she was told that she should interview the actors on first name basis. 'Thank you for stopping by. Many of our followers have been interested in you since the movie and before, tell me, how is the sudden attention and the growing fandom effecting your life?'

Richard was quite pleased by this question and Bernice could imagine how many unprofessional questions he had had to endure during the promotion of the Hobbit.

'Well, it is fascinating how many people are following Peter Jacksons movies. I am incredibly thankful for the amount of fans who support this movie and also the people involved in it.' Richard answers and Bernice smirks, noticing that he did not really answer the question concerning his private life.

'Isn´t it ironic that a tall man like you was cast to be a dwarf in the movie?' Bernice asked with a smile and Richard laughed.

'Yeah, it is quite ironic, although the dwarves are really not all the same size either, so it was actually fine by casting many different kinds of human with different kinds of faces, body height and shapes.'

The way Richard Armitage was answering Bernices questions deeply impressed the young woman. The answers were intelligent and thoughtful and in no way shallow.

'You are an actor of the "old school", meaning that you actually learned to act, sing and dance. Do you think we will see you in some kind of musical movie in the future? Maybe Cats?' Bernice could not help but refer to the musical Richard had actually been a part of. As she had first seen a part of the musical and saw Richard dancing like a cat, she had not know wether to be fascinated or shocked. Damn, the man could dance! And it had looked fantastic!

Again, Richard laughed quietly. It was a very nice and deep laugh and it was audibly coming from the heart. 'Maybe some day. Right now I have a few movies to do on my list, but maybe the next projects will be something to sing and dance to.'

Time was running up and his publicist looked at Bernice gesturing her to come to an end. With a sigh Bernice nodded. She had really enjoyed the few moment with Richard Armitage. He was polite and considerate and he had something that made Bernices stomach turn a somersault.

'I really look forward to it then. Thank you very much, Richard.' Bernice smiled at him and felt her cheeks blush as he smiled back at her warmly. She followed him with her gaze and listened to him as he was interviewed by another reporter and was asked how a dragon would sound like. Richard blew into the microfone and it _did _sound like a dragon, what made Bernice smirk amused.

'Hello? Earth to Bernice?' the cameraman waved a hand in front of Bernices nose. 'We are free to leave. Lets wrap it up.'

Bernice only nodded silently and moved into the cinema. She was one of the lucky ones who had gotten tickets and actually got to see the movie. While she walked into the building she glanced over her shoulder to look for Richard Armitage. As she realized what she was doing Bernice shook her head. At first she had not been nervous about meeting him, he had only been another actor to interview. But actually meeting him face to face and talking to him had swept Bernice off her feet. _Good God, Bernice, you are dreaming like a teenage girl. Get a grip! _She watched the cast of The Hobbit pose for a group picture. Richard had his hand on Evangelines waist and she held his hand in place as she turned around to make room for another person. Bernice frowned at the contact and scolded herself immediately for feeling jealous. Evangeline was so perfect, of course Richard was drawn to her. Sighing deeply Bernice walked to her seat and skipped through the various tweets about this particular event.

#Benedict Cumberbatch is so handsome... BenedictC.

#Just saw Evangeline Lilly, she is so hot! LegolasTauriel.

#Richard Armitage just passed me, I think I'm gonna faint! ArmitageFan.

Bernice smiled as she read the last tweet. She could understand the fan writting this. A few hours back she would have laughed about this ridiculous statement. As she looked up the cinema had filled completely and the movie was about to start. It was one of the best movies Bernice had ever seen. She could not help but watch Thorin even more closely than before, sometimes searching for Richard in the full cinema. After a while she spotted either him or Luke Evans, the two actors wore almost identical suits that evening.

Bernice laughed wholeheartly at the scene of the dwarves in the barrels and how Bilbo forgot to follow the barrels out of the palace at first. Martin Freemans skill of comedy was awesome. Lateron she watched a scene she already knew from the trailers.

'You have no right to enter that mountain!' Bard was exclaiming in the movie.

'I have the only right.'Thorin whispered back and his hoarse whisper sent shivers down Bernices back. Wow, that was sexy! Bernice cuddled up into her seat and got caught by the movie´s magic until the end. Good thing that Lee Pace was not at the premiere, his character Thranduil had been awfully disgusting. Bernice almost felt as if he had wronged herself and not the fictive dwarves of Erebor. Peter Jackson had made another masterpiece.

Days later Bernice was called by her boss, who told her that she would fly to the European Premiere of the Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug in Berlin. Bernice was incredibly nervous about that, she had never been to Germany before. She decided to take a couple of days off before the premiere and to spend the weekend in Berlin, already cheking out some nice local places. As she arrived in Berlin on Saturday she quickly realised one thing. Germany was freaking cold. First thing she did in her hotel, the Adlon, was take a warm bubble bath. Later that day she strode through the nearby downtown. The Germans were not like she expected them to be. They were nice and most of them spoke good english. Bernice scolded herself for her prejudice and soon found a small and homely coffeehouse with two nice looking armchairs at the window front and sat down in one fo them, ordering a coffee. So far, so good. She took out her note pad and wrote down a few questions she would have to ask the actors and VIPs on the black carpet in front of the Sony Centre in Berlin. The front had already been decorated, she had passed by the location before. She was not paying attention to her surroundings and jumped as a deep voice adressed her from behind.

'Excuse me, Miss. Is that seat taken?'

That voice sounded familiar, but Bernice did not realise who it belonged to before she looked up and froze in midmotion. With huge eyes she looked into the face of Richard Armitage, who looked down at her questioningly. After a few embarassing moments which felt like ages Bernice found her voice.

'Sure. Please sit down.'

'Thank you.' Richard sat down across of Bernice and pealed out of his jacket. 'Its really uncomfortable out there.'

Bernice smiled at his comment. 'Yes, it is.'

'Is there anything you can recommend? Although I take it that you´re not from Berlin either.' Richard joked and Bernice smiled smitten. She was about to answer as Richard looked into her face more closely. 'I am sorry, I swear this is not a line, but do I know you?'

Bernice felt her heart miss a beat. He had recognised her! They had only spent a few minutes together that evening and he had met countless other reporters after her. And he still remembered her!

'We met in L.A. a few days ago. At the premiere.' Bernice stammered and Richard nodded remembering the event.

'Yes, the reporter from Entertainment Now. I remember. So you are here for the European premier I suppose?' at Bernices nod he smiled. 'Then we will meet again soon. Just so I know, how can I adress you then?'

Bernice realised in shock that she had never introduced herself. 'Oh my goodness, please forgive my manners. My name is Bernice Brentwood.'

'Bernice Brentwood, nice to meet you.' Richard smiled. 'It feels odd that I do not need to introduce myself to you.'

'So you have not gotten used to the fact yet that you are popular now?' Bernice stated and earned a smirk from Richard.

'Are you interviewing me already? I thought I had a few days time.'

'Oh no, I am sorry, I am just being curious.' Bernice apologised and blushed. 'I should not bother you with such questions.'

'Miss Brentwood, I was teasing you. Of course you can ask me things.' Richard smiled. 'And no, I have not gotten used to the fact that more and more people recognise me on the street and scream bloody murder at me on the black carpets.'

Bernice chuckled. She remembered the screaming fangirls in L.A. and winced at the thought of having to spend another night outside with crazy fangirls. But who was she to judge, she was a crazy fangirl herself. She just did not show it openly.

'So? Have you gotten any plans for the weekend?' Bernice remembered that Richard told one of the reporters in L.A. that his family and friends would come to Berlin. 'Will you spend the weekend with your family?'

Richard seemed surprised that Bernice remembered, but he nodded anyway. 'They will arrive in a few hours, I´ll pick them up at the airport and we´ll have a family weekend before the premiere.'

'That sound lovely.' Bernice gazed down at Richards fingers. No wedding ring. So family would be parents, sibblings etc. She had already tried to get some background information on Richards relationships, but she had not found much. The actor seemed to be very private about his life which Bernice liked alot. Some fans, especially on twitter and tumblr, desperatly tried to prove him being gay, going so far to stalk him and his supposed boyfriend and pointing out nonsense as proof that he was in fact attached to some other male actor, but Bernice dismissed such rumors. Some people had just too much time on their hands and stuck their noses into places they did not belong. Fanatically following him and practically bullying him into admitting that he was supposedly gay was merely disgusting.

'Whats your plan for the week end?' Richard asked her back.

'I guess I´ll be doing a little bit of sightseing, preparing myself for the black carpet...you know write down questions and stuff.' Bernice grinned and while she hoped that she would run into Richard and his family, she also wanted him to enjoy the weekend in peace, without any reporter involved.

Their talk was interupted by the waiter who brought Richard a coffee to go. Politely thanking the waiter Richard stood up and smiled at Bernice one last time.

'It was nice meeting you, Miss Brentwood.' he said in his warm and deep voice.

'Likewise, Mister Armitage.' Bernice smiled back, feeling disappointed that he actually left. She watched him walk down the street and lowered her gaze as he was about to turn around the corner. She did not see that he turned around briefly before he past the corner.

The weekend had past without any further excitement and on monday evening Bernice was preparing for the press conference in the Sony Centre. This time she dressed into a black dress and gave her looks a little more of thought. _Who the heck am I doing this for? For Richard? Who are you kidding, Bernice._ Bernice scolded herself, but she tried to look nice anyway.

At the Sony Centre she looked for Richard all evening, until she saw him walk down the red carpet in a black suit with a blue shirt and a blue tie. It was a dark blue like he had worn as Thorin in the movie and it looked perfect on him. Bernice felt as if she would faint if she would look into his blue eyes this evening. _Great, Bernice. You´ve got a crush like some bloody teenager! ..._

Bernice was nervous as she watched Richard walk towards her that evening. This time, he did not need to be guided by his publicist, he saw Bernice and walked right up to her.

'Miss Brentwood.' he greeted her warmly and Bernice felt hot shivers run down her spine again.

'Mister Armitage. Ok that sounds funny.' Bernice exclaimed without thinking and made Richard chuckle. She loved his chuckle.

'Any new questions you would like to ask me?' Richard cocked his eyebrows.

In fact Bernice had watched him since he had arrived and did indeed have some questions. 'I admire you very much for keeping for private life safe from the public eye...' Bernice started and saw him blink at her. '...but the attractive young man over there seems to be related to you.'

Richard turned around to where Bernice was pointing at and laughed quietly. 'He is my nephew.'

His nephew. So he was fun uncle Thorin...ehmmmm Richard, in real life, as well? Bernice noticed that he had not told her his nephews name, but did not ask any further.

'Your parents are here as well. I hope that they enjoy Berlin and that they are incredibly proud of their son?' Bernice smiled as Richard looked down at his feet sheepishly.

'They have a good time, Berlin is awesome! About the proud part...you will have to ask them that yourself.' Richard grinned and Bernice swallowed heavily. She was already phantasizing about interviewing Richards parents - maybe after a sleepover - _No! Bernice, shut up!_

Bernice jerked out of her phantasy world in time to see Richards publicist push him towards the next reporter.

'It was nice meeting you again, miss Brentwood.' Richard smiled at her one last time. 'Until we meet again - next year.'

Richard waved akwardly before turning to the next camera. Bernice could only nod and smile dreamily. Next year. Oh, she so looked forward to that...

**I actually wrote this one a year ago during premiere week...Its not my best work and I apologise, but I am not very good at modern AU stuff^^ (So, Hermione Granger, thank yo so much for yor review and I hope that you are not disappointed! This was the only modern fic work I had stocked, but who knows, maybe one day I'll have a better one:).) Maybe I will continue this after the last premieres this year! **


	2. Chapter 2

One year after her wonderful Hobbit premiere experience, Bernice still worked for the same TV company and this time she had to fight for her right to go to the Hobbit premieres of the last Tolkien movie made by Peter Jackson. She felt incredibly sad, that Peter Jackson did not seem to have other plans to keep Tolkiens world alive for the fans, but she hoped that he might change his mind someday.

After she finally received confirmation, she could not be happier. She had a good standing as a journalist in her department and her boss had been very happy with her results from the last premiere. So this time, she was granted trips to London, Paris and Brazil.

Bernice had followed several Hobbit related cyber information already. She had a private Twitter account and also a Facebook account on which she could gather information about the movies, the actors and reactions of the fans. Bernice considered herself a fan, even if she was not a die hard one like many others. She rolled her eyes at the obsession of some fans, at the tags, tweets, hashtags and the various other ways to get some celebrity´s attention. She had to admit though, that she had been happy about her favorite Hobbit actor, Richard Armitage, joining Twitter. Many fans wrote to him and tried to catch his attention on Twitter, but Bernice only followed him and occasionaly favorited his tweets. He had a truly dorky humor and he was a tease, but that did not surprise her. Although Bernice used social media frequently, the obsession of some people scared her. Especially the fans who went through the accounts of the celebrities to see who they followed or by whom they were followed and who tried to create imaginary bonds between certain celebrities scared her. Stalking was none of Bernice´s qualities. Also, she would never assume that a celebrity shared his private life with his or her fans. Reality stars, like the Kardashians or Brangelina were truly nervewracking in Bernice´s point of view.

Bernice scrolled through her tweets and smiled as she noticed that Richard had posted a selfie again. He never revealed too much from himself and he liked to tease the fans, many of them going crazy when he posted. Her flight information as well as her hotel confirmation for London, Paris and Brazil had also arrived today. London was one of her favorite cities and she looked forward being there again, especially on such a beautiful occasion. A quiet voice inside of her was anxious to see Richard again. Interviewing him and meeting him in Berlin had been an unforgettable experience for Bernice, one she had never experienced with any other actor she had met after that. Bernice scolded herself for her crush on Richard. She had to be professional and ignore the fact that Richard was probably the most attractive man she had ever met. Shaking her head, Bernice smiled at herself. She did not even know him, really now him. All she had was how she imagined him to be. He was simply perfect in her eyes. Stop it, Bernice! This was ridiculous.

Bernice told herself to forget the handsome bearded face, the beautiful blue eyes and the captivating smile and decided to plan her travels. Alright, London on the first of december. Everything was booked already. She would have a tight scedule, like the stars of the Hobbit as well.

London would be the world premiere. This would be a gathering of many of those who had worked on all the Middle Earth movies of Peter Jackson. So many were invited...but the Kiwi actors who played some of Thorin Oakenshield´s dwarves. Bernice frowned at the unfairness. This movie was all about the dwarves and their quest. And now the actors coming from New Zealand would not even be at the premiere? This was simply disappointing. But then again, Bernice knew that the big company behind all of this, Warner Brothers, was all about profit. Apparently, after Warner Brother´s logic, the actors playing Oin, Gloin, Bofur, Bifur, Bombur and Fili were not profitable enough for the Hobbit franchise. Bernice had understood the uproar this had caused in the fan camps. That the world premiere was in London and not in New Zealand was bad enough in Bernice´s opinion, but not even inviting all the actors who were part of this success was simply bad taste. Bernice had to admit that she was as disappointed as the actors themselves and the fans. This was simply wrong.

The next premiere would be in Paris and Peter Jackson, Martin Freeman and Richard Armitage would attend. She had no further information on Brazil, yet.

Two premieres with Richard. Bernice smiled dreamily, then she scolded herself again. Stop it, stop it, stop it, be professional!

She would have interviews with Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, Martin Freeman, Graham McTavish, Andy Serkis, Evangeline Lily and Richard Armitage. Maybe also Orlando Bloom. All the professional, she had already figured out what to ask and how to gather the information of interest.

Only one thing was different this time. While her outfit had been practical and simple the last year, Bernice had bought some different things to wear to the red carpet this time. She had bought a beautiful red coat for London, with matching leather boots and a new pair of jeans and beautiful tops for Brazil. Bernice had planned to buy her outfit for Paris in Paris before the premiere. She was sure that she would find something fitting on the Champs Elysées. Or Lafayette. Bernice tried to tell herself that it was of no importance what she wore to the red carpet, but she knew that she was lying to herself.

"Why look good for Richard? Do you think that he will see you and fall in love?" Bernice was angry at herself for hoping to catch Richards interest. "You are no freaking teen anymore, grow up."

And still, Bernice packed her make up and jewelry first as she packed for London.

#

Leicester Square was one big mess. Hundreds if not thousands of people were standing in line to get a wristband for the premiere. Bernice was once again immensely grateful that her status as a reporter would bring her to the front of he carpet. On the internet, people had been told to not camp on the square and not to crowd the place, but as usual many had not listened. But they also had no consequences to fear. The police let them be and the whole place was chaos.

Bernice took the tube and returned to South London, where her hotel was. She had taken a hotel far away on purpose, for she loved to travel through London. It was one of her favorite cities in the world. It started raining as she walked out of the underground and Bernice hurried. As she turned around the corner, she bumped into a tall man, who seemed in a hurry as well. His lower face was covered by his coat and Bernice tried not to fall, so she did not look directly at him.

'Whoa, lady.' a sexy deep voice made her jerk. She knew that voice. It could not be.

'Mr. Armitage?' she asked before she even looked up.

It was him. Richard bloody Armitage himself. His eyes twinkled in amusement as he looked down at Bernice. He had caught her arms and had prevented her from falling flat on her nose.

'If you know a man from his voice, then you know him too well.' Richard grinned. 'Do I know you?'

'Uhmmmmm...' Bernice felt like an idiot. 'We met last year. Bernice Brentwood, I am a reporter.'

'Right! Now I remember.' Richard smiled. 'We met at the carpet and this cafe in Berlin. How are you? I guess we will also meet again on the 1st?'

'Yeah.' Bernice blushed. He remembered her. 'I am fine I guess. And yes I will be there in two days as well.'

'Great, then we have something to look forward to.' Richard stated and Bernice blushed even more. If he knew. 'I apologise, but I am in quite a hurry.'

'Please, I do not want to be the reason you´re late.' Bernice reluctantly retreated from his personal space. 'Thank you for catching me. I am sorry that I ran into you.'

'I am not.' Richard smiled and turned to leave. 'See you in two days, Miss Brentwood.'

And with these last words, he was gone. Bernice stood there for a few minutes, petrified and with a stupid grin on her face. She could not stop grinning for the rest of the day.

#

Bernice spend most of sunday pacing and staring at her breakfast. She as nervous beyond reason and prepared for her big night. Then, monday morning, she was a nervous wreck. She ate a tiny little bit and then made ready for the evening. She chose black jeans, a black jacket and a silver top. She straightened her brown hair and put on light make up. Bernice was satisfied as she looked into the mirror. Her dark brown hair flowed over her shoulders and shone beautifully. Her soft eyes were surrounded with coal and gave her a mysterious look. So far so good.

As she took the underground to the theatre Bernice still fet nervous. She hoped that she would be able to speak one straight sentence. She cursed as she emered from the underground. The wind tussled her hair and made her eyes water. She made it to the theatre quickly. The fans were lined up in long lines and were already bouncing in excitement. She had many questions ready for the cast. Bernice, personally, would have loved to ask Peter Jackson a few things. For example why not all the cast was invited to London. This was the last movie on a series of wonderful movies which had changed the lives of so many. All the actors had been part of it and Bernice thought that it was a real shame that not all of them had been invited. Peter, as well as Richard, had mentionned many times that the whole cast had been so close and had bonded so well in New Zealand. Where was this friendship and loyalty now? Bernice frowned when she thought about WB. She disliked what financial greed did to some people.

Bernice walked up to the part of the carpet where the press would be situated. She showed off her ID card and was let in instantly. She smiled at some of the frowns given to her by some fans standing close to her. She was probably looking like a normal fangirl and she had the same age as most of the fans standing around the theatre. Trying to look somewhat professional, Bernice waited patiently and tried not to feel sick from her excitement.

After an hour, the first of the cast began to arrive and the screaming and cheering grew nearly intolerable. Bernice was looking for Richard, but he was not there, yet. She interviewed Orlando and Martin, quick and professionaly and smiled as Orlando looked at her as if he remembered her. Sadly, Graham McTavish was not there, Bernice had looked forward interviewing him. Evangeline was next and Bernice tried to stay calm. She had liked the actress a year ago, but the fact that she tried to push herself into the spotlight more than often and gave more interviews than the other actors, annoyed Bernice. Evangelines character, Tauriel, was no part of the Tolkien universe, which was bad enough. Plus, the fictive character got more attention from the plot than most of the dwarven cast, which was simply wrong. The love triangle between Tauriel, Legolas and Kili was annoying and ruined alot of the movie. Bernice had heard various rumors about the third movie and what she had heard had made her really angry. Peter Jackson had changed the plot in favor of the actors playing elves. This was a movie about a hobbit and dwarves. The elves should not even be in there, but Lee Pace, who played Thranduil. Bernice shook her head to banish her negative thoughts and smiled at Evangeline as she appeared to be interviewed. She asked her three shallow questions and tried not to pay too much attention to her answers. She nodded politely as Evangeline was dragged to the next reporter and waited for Richard.

To her shock, Bernice realised that Richard had already passed her. He must have been shoved by by his personal assistant during her interview with Evangeline. Furiously, she tried to catch his gaze or the gaze of his assistant, but both were already gone. Mentally stomping with her foot, Bernice followed the other reporters into the theatre. She did not get any other cast interviewed and cursed about the ruined evening. She was one of the reporters who was invited to see the movie. Grumbling quietly, Bernice sat down somewhere in the middle of the theatre and send her interviews to the cloud to save it. She quickly looked into Twitter and other social media and smirked at all the comments. She looked at some of the pictures of Richard, which had been taken from fans who had actually seen him pass. Bernice was still angry and was not able to concentrate as the movie started.

#

She was even angrier when the movie was over. The plot was really different than in the book. That a movie was not exactly like the book which was the base of the plot was normal, but Bernice had the feeling that this was whole different movie. The battle was a masterpiece of GCI, but Bernice had liked the fighting scenes in Lord of the Rings better. It was the work of real stuntmen and stuntwomen and not a computer generated orc.

Richard and Martin had been her only light in the darkness. She had tears in her eyes when Thorin succumbed to the goldsickness and Bilbo still fought for his friends although he had no real chance. Tears fell down Bernice´s face as the movie ended, both tears of sadness and also a little disappointment. But most of the spectators seemed to like the movie, the applause was loud and the cheers happy.

Even some of the cast were teary and Peter Jackson looked sad as well. Sad and relieved. He knew that this was the last Tolkien movie he would do. An end of an era. Bernice stood up with the rest of the theatre and gave standing ovations. All in all, Peter and the cast and crew deserved respect for their work, it was a fantastic movie, even if it was altered to please the majority of viewers. This was Hollywood business, Bernice knew that.

Moments after the movie was over, Bernice watched the cast leave to the afterparty and decided to leave the theatre through one of the smaller exits in the back. She put on her red coat and sneaked to the exit as a strong hand grabbed her upper arm. At first, Bernice jumped and thought that a security guy would lecture her since she used a fire escape to exit, but as she saw up she froze. Richard was the man who had grabbed her.

'Miss Brentwood.' Richard smiled. 'I apologise, I was dragged over the red carpet so fast this evening. I believe I owe you an interview.'

Bernice gaped at him and took a few deep breaths before answering. 'You owe me nothing, Mister Armitage.'

'Nonsense. I told you that I would give you an interview and I stick to my word.' Richard grinned. 'And stop with the " mister Armitage" I fell old when people call me that.'

'Yes, Mister Armitage.' Bernice mumbled and then rolled her eyes at herself, while Richard chuckled.

'Come.' he gently led her back into the theatre. 'We will find a nice place to have this interview.'

Bernice followed him, too stunned and too petrified to even remember her questions. Only some people saw them leave. They saw a handsome actor leave with an overwhelmed woman in a red coat.


	3. Chapter 3

Richard found a quiet place in the corner of the big afterparty. There were people everywhere and soon, they had two glasses of champagne in their hands. Bernice had not said a word and bit her lip. She was afraid that Richard would think of her as an impossible moron and straightened her back. Get a grip Brentwood, jeez!

'So.' Richard sat down opposite of Bernice. 'Bernice. Do you have any questions?'

'Uhmm...' oh good start Bernice, very intelligent! 'I...was it the first time you watched the movie yourself?'

Alright, this had been none of her questions, but it was a start.

'Yes, I have seen it for the first time today. At least all the film at once.' Richard sighed. 'It is pretty overwhelming. Sometimes I cannot believe that I was a part of this.'

'I cannot believe that I am sitting here with you, either.' Bernice stated and paled as Richard laughed. 'Oh my God, did I say that out loud?'

'Yes, you did!' Richard was amused. 'You are a reporter, aren´t you used to being around celebrities?'

Yes, but not around celebrities I find ridiculously attractive. This time Bernice managed to not say it out loud.

'I uhmmm, I am sorry, I just missed you on the red carpet today and thought that I had missed my chance.' Bernice stammered. 'It is very nice of you for giving me another chance of an interview.'

'I am happy to.' Richard smiled softly.

'So...I know that you get asked alot of similar questions over and over again. I will try to be more creative.' Richard smiled at that again. 'You joined Twitter this year. How did you experience it?'

'Twitter is such an amazing social media.' Richard leaned forward. 'I was able to directly contact my fans and interact with them. It brings you much closer to the people.'

'This year, you were also part of The Crucible, by Yael Farber. You came out to see the fans at the stage door every night, was that not challenging?'

'It was! But my fans mean alot to me. Many of them came to London to see me in this play and many of them waited patiently for me to sign their tickets or books or magazines. I am grateful for their support and I hope that I could give back their loyalty in some way.'

Bernice nodded, it was a beautiful answer.

'Have you seen the play as well?' Richard asked Bernice and caught her off guard.

Bernice smiled sadly as she saw his curious face. 'Sadly, I have not. I was in South East Asia at that time, for research.'

'It will be in the theatres, soon.' Richard told her. 'Maybe you could catch up, then.'

'I am sure that I will.' Bernice smiled and wondered why Richard wanted her to see the play. 'I only heard good things about the play.'

'Yael, is an amazing woman.' Richard told her. 'Working with her was an honor.'

'I am sure she would say the same about working with you.' Bernice said and watched in amazement, as Richard blushed a bit. So he still was the shy and modest actor she had met a year ago, despite his success.

'I am sorry, I have begun to interview you.' Richard chuckled. 'Please go on.'

Bernice needed a while and then decided that she should tell him the truth. Screw her dignity, it was over with that anyway.

'I forgot what I wanted to ask you.' she admitted and Richard gave her a laugh she adored. It was relaxed and merry.

'Alright then.' suddenly Bernice feared that he would consider this interview over and leave. But he did not. 'Then maybe you want another of these?'

Richard pointed to the glass of champagne. Bernice looked down and realised that she had drunk it all. She was not sure wether this was a good idea, but she nodded and Richard ordered two more glasses, which were standing on their table in the blink of an eye.

'Well, then let me ask you - will you be at more premieres?' Richard looked at Bernice and blinked.

'I will be in Paris and maybe Brazil.' Bernice told him.

'Ace!' Richard smiled. 'Paris will be in three days already. I will travel half the world for the premieres alone.'

'Won´t it get boring seeing the movie that often?' Bernice asked and Richard grinned.

'Maybe. But then again it is a special experience to see oneself on screen. Sometimes I forget that Thorin is actually me. That Bilbo is actually Martin. It is sureal.' Richard frowned. 'I have played Thorin for so long that I had difficulties letting go in the beginning.'

'Do you have similarities with Thorin?' Bernice asked.

'I can be stubborn.' Richard grinned. 'I am very disciplined when it comes to my work or the goals I want to achieve. Like Thorin, I often neglect my own life for the sake of a higher cause.'

'Is that why you are single?' Bernice asked and immediatly felt the urge to slap herself.

Richard laughed again and grinned sheepishly. 'Am I single?'

Tease. Bernice smirked and looked down at her hands. Richard never revealed any private information and shewas ashamed that she had again, put her foot in her mouth.

'I apologise, this is private.' Bernice mumbled.

'You are a reporter, it is your job to ask.' Richard stated calmly. 'It is quite alright.'

'Well, uhmmm, I guess I ran out of questions.' Bernice admitted and felt stupid for no doing her job right.

'I am sure that you will have alot of delightful questions saved for Paris.' Richard blinked at her. 'When will you leave for France?'

'Tomorrow.' Bernice said. 'My flight goes tomorrow evening. With British Airways.'

'Of course.' Richard smiled. 'I thought about flying there early as well, but I am afraid that my scedule does not allow it.'

'Try it.' Bernice told him. 'Paris is wonderful this time of year.'

'I will try.' Richard smiled and stood up, perfect gentleman that he was, as Bernice stood up.

'Thank you so much for this...interview.' Bernice blushed as she reached out to shake his hand. His huge hand was warm and he shook her hand gently.

'You´re welcome.' Richard stated softly and Bernice could not help but gaze into his eyes. The beautiful, blue, sparkling...Bernice!

'Uhmm...have a wonderful evening. Richard.' Bernice smiled at him one last time and grinned at his shy smile.

'See you in Paris, Bernice.'

#

Paris was wonderful that time of year. Bernice walked down the Champs Élysée and hummed Billy Boyds "Last Goodbye". It was a beautiful song and she had tears in her eyes whenever she heard it. She had spent the last two days shopping and sight seeing. The premiere was tonight and Bernice felt a stupid grin light up her face when she thought about seeing Richard again.

Against reason, Bernice had bought a nice oufit for tonights premiere. A simple black dress, which reached her knees and black high heels which would kill her, but looked stunningly beautiful.

The premiere was small compared to the previous one. The street at the side of the theatre was crowded, but there were less people than in London. Bernice was already in the threatre as Richard, Martin and Peter arrived. In front of the theatre doors, there was a small podium with a camera which would take a short video of the actors and Peter from a 360 degree perspective. Bernice watched with a smile as Richard appeared, taking his time with the fans and smiling warmly at the crew around the camera. As the camera began to move, he turned and swiftly pointed into the camera with a dorky expression, making everyone around him chuckle in amusement. Martin and Peter also fooled around with the camera, both of them in ther own personal way.

But Bernice focused on Richard after the red carpet was over. He had passed her, but was rushed to the interviews. Bernice waited patiently until he had a moment if peace and swooped in. Richards security was about to yell at her, but Richard saw her and waved her to him.

'Miss Brentwood, you made it.' he greeted her and shook her hand.

'It is so nice to see you again!' Bernice stammered and mentally rolled her eyes. Nice, the understatement of the year. 'Did you get to see Paris?'

'No, sadly not!' Richard shook his head. 'We had this interview session in the afternoon and then we were brought to the hotel to change and rest for a few minutes. We drove through Paris though, it was almost a hopp on and not drop off tour.'

Bernice chuckled. She had seen Richards selfie posted on twitter minutes ago, from the inside of his car and a monument outside of the window.

'A shame! Paris is wonderful and the people are really nice!' Bernice sighed.

'Yeah, although some do scare me. Out there was a huge blonde girl in the crowd, yelling at me in French...she scared me.' Richard smiled sheepishly and made Bernice laugh, She knew which one he was talking about.

'Oh right! The one standing beside another girl dressed up as Smaug?' Bernice chuckled. 'She yelled that she wants to marry you and have kids with you.'

'Oh dear.' Richard lowered in gaze and shook his head. 'Now, I am really scared.'

Damn, Bernice was grateful that he could not read what was on her mind when she met him.

'You speak French?' Richard asked and Bernice focused on their conversation again.

'Yes, I learned it in school.' Bernice told him. 'My parents and I have lived in France for a year when I was little.'

'That is fascinating.' Richard smiled. 'I wish I could speak more languages, but it gets harder with age.'

Bernice was about to tell him that he could still easily learn, but was cut off by the theatres timetable. The cinema was crowded and Richard, Martin and Peter were supposed to greet the fans.

'Excuse me. See you later?' Richard patted Bernices shoulder and followed Martin and Peter up on stage. Bernice could only nod and walked to her seat. She watched the three celebreties on stage and sighed. Her crush began to take a toll on her. She scolded herself for being naive and childish. Richard was simply being nice, there was nothing else behind this. Bernice applauded as the introduction was over and leaned back to watch the movie. Again.

Halfway through the movie, Bernice took a look towards Richard and Martin. But she could not see them. The seats were empty, as well as Peters seat. Disappointed and sad, Bernice sat back and could not even concentrate on the movie anymore. Richard was gone and she had not even really interviewed him. Not that she had any important questions in mind, her mind was completely blank since she met him again.

Bernice concentrated on the fans again as the movie was coming to an end. Many fans were disappointed by the movies ending and many even booed as Evangeline Lily appeared on screen. Bernice decided to write her article about this premiere and the reaction of the fans on herway back to the hotel, while the memor was still fresh. Looking back to the empty seats of Richard, Martin and Peter, she slowly walked out of the theatre. She wondered how Peter would have reacted to the negative reaction form the fans towards the ending and Evangeline.

Bernice wrote down all her thoughts in her article. The good, the bad and everything around this movie. She was finished as she arrived in the hotel.

#

The next morning, Bernice was sitting at the gate of the Charles de Gaulle airport, waiting for her flight to Brazil. She had not slept very well and was cranky and moody. She took Air France to fly to Brazil, which she had not chosen. She would rather have taken another airline, but somehow she had ended up with Air France, for they were cheaper than the other airlines.

'Are you ready to go on an adventure?' someone asked her and sat down at her side.

Bernice was not in the mood for teasing and turned to give the man a piece of her mind. And then she froze.

'Richard!' she whispered and made him laugh.

'If I may say so - you look tired.' Richard blinked at her.

'I am tired.' Bernice bit her lip. 'You look rested. No wonder, since you did not even finish the movie yesterday.'

Bernice bit her tongue. She did not want not be impolite, but she was curious. Why had he left?

'Yeah, about that.' Richard grimaced. 'Sorry. But we were told to get back to the hotel and rest. Martin and Peter had an early flight today and I had to be ready for the convention in Brazil. How did the fans react?'

'You will be able to read about them and their reaction in my article next week.' Bernie told him and watched him cock his eyebrows.'

'I thought you were a TV journalist.' Richard asked, but Bernice shook her head.

'I also write small articles.' she told him and smiled as he grinned at her.

'I was already wondering why your camera was not with you. You looked as if you had chosen the outfit for a Tv appearance though.' Richard remarked and Bernice started to sweat. Oh dear lord, he had noticed the outfit.

Bernice was about to answer as she was cut short by the crew asking the first class passengers to board.

'I guess this is us.' Richard smiled down at her as he stood up. 'Good luck, miss Brentwood. I hope that we will meet again. And...I hope that we make it to Brazil. I was not thrilled as my agent booked this flight. Did you know that Air France crashed over sea on exactly this route some years ago?'

Bernice looked at him with big eyes. Seriously?

'I apologise.' Richard chuckled. 'Probably not the best thing to say before boarding.'

'No, it isn't,' but Bernice could not help but smile at Richard. She knew that this was goodbye. They would not meet in Brazil and they would go seperate ways from now on. Would they?

'I wish you all the best and hope that we will meet again one day.' Bernice shook his hand and swallowed. This was harder than she thought it would be.

'Goodbye, miss Brentwood.' Richard smiled and made Bernices knees almost give away. 'Until we meet again.'

Reluctantly, she let go of his hand and watched him pass the gate to board. She waited until the last passenger got on board and then boarded as well. The flight attendant smiled at her dreamy expression and wished her a "bon voyage".

Bernice walked to her seat and looked down at the man sitting next to her.

'You got to be joking.' she exclaimed and laughed. 'Nice socks, by the way!'

The End.


End file.
